MASON, Ohio - Despite a small rain delay, day three of the G-MAC Baseball Championships provided two of the best games of the week, with Cedarville winning a pair of one-run games, including coming from behind in game one to score six runs over the final two innings to advance, where they needed extra innings to advance into the championship round.
GAME #11 - #5 CEDARVILLE vs. #3 ALDERSON BROADDUS
After an early morning elimination contest and a two hour break to let a line of showers move through the region, Cedarville/Alderson Broaddus University advanced out of the elimination bracket and into the G-MAC Championship round where the Yellow Jackets/Battlers will take on Trevecca Nazarene for the conference title on Saturday at Noon at Prasco Park.
Over the first two innings, neither team was able to put anything together, that is until Cedarville broke through in the third with a pair of runs. The Yellow Jackets scored its two early runs on RBI singles from Marshall Johnson and Sam Summerlin.
Playing in their fifth game in three days, Cedarville was forced to turn to its closer Connor Hamilton to start the contest. Through four innings he held AB scoreless, but the Battlers tied the game at 2-2 with a pair of runs, one earned, in the fifth. Jordan Martin drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt, but reached on a throwing error by Hamilton. Later in the inning, David Bryan singled to center, scoring Brandon Gignac.
Cedarville escaped even more damage as a fly ball to center was caught for the second out and Cam McWilliams fired a strike to home for the double play outfield assist to end the inning.
G-MAC Pitcher of the Year Jeff Conley started for the Battlers and after giving up a pair in the third, kept the game tied through the next six innings, allowing just two hits, striking out four and getting two ground balls to turn double plays.
Both pitching performances by Hamilton and Conley set up the game for a dramatic extra inning finish with the winner advancing the championship round. Hamilton, who pitched 33 total innings prior to this game in 23 appearances, went 10 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits and four Yellow Jackets errors. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter, though he did hit two with pitches. Conley went nine innings giving up two runs on seven hits and striking out five, walking one and also hitting two with pitches, but was replaced on the mound in the tenth and didn’t factor into the decision.
In the bottom of the tenth, with one out Nathan Bancroft singled and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch, setting the table for Marshall Johnson to drive him home for the game winner.
Cedarville will return to the G-MAC Championship game for the second year in a row and face Trevecca Nazarene in a rematch of last season's finals where TNU won the G-MAC Championship.
GAME #10 - #5 CEDARVILLE vs. #4 DAVIS & ELKINS
On Friday morning, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Baseball Championships started earlier than scheduled to avoid incoming rain at Prasco Park. #5 Cedarville and #4 Davis & Elkins played in the first of two elimination contests at 9:00 a.m. Both teams seemed wide awake from the start for first round rematch, each scoring a combined seven runs over the first three innings.
Davis & Elkins led the game off with a run in the first, one in the second, and two in the third to hold a 4-3 lead as Cedarville responded with a run in the first and two in the second. In the first inning, the Senators got on the board with a home run from Matt Moceri, and Cedarville responded with an RBI single from David Lenhardt.
In the second, D&E scored on an RBI groundout by Ryan Butts, scoring Ryan Dodson. The Yellow Jackets responded to take a short lived 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on a two-run single by Sam Summerlin.
The Senators reclaimed the lead in the third on a RBI fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly as they took advantage of back-to-back walks to start the inning.
The offense settled until the bottom of the fifth when Cedarville plated a run to tie the game on a lead off solo home run from Drew Johnson. For Johnson it was his second home run in four tournament games and sixth extra-base hit.
D&E seemingly took command of the game in the sixth and seventh inning, scoring five runs and taking a 9-4 lead. In the sixth a RBI single by Brad Banzhoff and a RBI walk by Moceri gave the Senators a lead. They expanded that lead with two RBI singles and an RBI ground out in the seventh.
Cedarville wasn’t about to give in as it scored three times in the eighth to give themselves a chance. In the eighth, with two outs and one run in, a two-strike, two-out single by Dan Larking scored Lenhardt and Summerlin to make the score 9-7.
Then in the ninth, Cedarville began the inning with back-to-back singles from the number eight and nine hitters, bringing the top of the order up to make the dramatic comeback. McWilliams walked to load the bases with no outs and Marshall Johnson tied the game with a two-run single to center. Then after an intentional walk to load the bases again, Lenhardt won the game with a base hit over the head of a drawn in leftfielder.
The Yellow Jackets will move on to face Alderson Broaddus University in the elimination bracket finals. After a short rain delay the game is expected to begin around 2:30 p.m. Check G-MACsports.com for continued updates and follow us on twitter: @GreatMidwestAC for all championship updates.